I’m genuinely heartbroken for us. Canada were absolutely the better side tonight and didn’t ‘deseve’ to lose against Uruguay on PKS. We played our best game of the tournament by a long margin - which is amusing considering we played our B squad for most of the game and Uruguay did not. We should have had another two, possibly three goals against Uruguay. Once again, clinical finishing and switching off for a couple of seconds buried us in the end. It’s a big problem if we want to be able to compete at this level going forward.
Dayne St. Clair had a couple of big saves. Koné had a hell of a goal and possibly the best goal of the tournament. He was easily the best player on the pitch tonight and showed the potential he has to be our next superstar. Sadly he wasn’t able to convert his PK. Davies also flared out his PK by hitting thr underside of the top crossbar. I’m not confident in him taking our PKs going forward. Phonsie also notoriously missed a freebie in the 2024 World Cup.
Uruguay were largely poor. They only started to turn up the heat in the last ten minutes when Luis Suarez does what he does and drew level in the 91st minute. Although he doesn’t have the pace he once had, he’s still a pest and definitely made a difference. The only place Uruguay looked dangerous was on the rare opportunities they were able to split us open on counterattacks. Canada owned most of the possession and have more shots on goal.
It doesn’t feel like the right team won. I’d have love to have seen this go to extra time instead of straight to PKs. It doesn’t feel just considering how well we played.
The plus is that Jesse Marsch has only been on the job over the last two months and he’s got us this far. He’s been in charge of us playing the most d8ffucult games we’ve faced consistently over the course of two months… Holland, France, Argentina (twice), Chilé, Venezuela, Peru and Uruguay. That’s a tough schedule for any team!
Koné had a beastly game. Jakob Shaffelburg proved yet again that he should be playing in Europe in one of the top leagues. He frequently tore apart the opposing teams trying to mark him on the left flank and to fight wasn’t any different. I hope he gets his chance. Maxime Crespeaux was one of, if not the keeper of the tournament. Alistair Johnson showed his experience gained playing for Celtic. Unfortunately, it was Canada’s superstars in Alphonso Davies, Cyle Larin and Jonathan David that largely underpeformed. David scored tonight redeeming himself a bit, but across the entire tournament he was poor doing what he’s expected to do - score goals. He only had two the entire tournament and few shots on gaol from a player that is frequently one of the top scorers in Ligue 1
We have a lot to look forward to in the lead up to the World Cup we’re co-hosting in 2026. I absolutely cannot wait to be there in person cheering them on! Allez les Rouges!
